Danger Drives Demand For Armored-car Makers

The World's Troubled Roads Of Rage, In War-torn Areas Of The Middle East And Latin America, Create Boom Times For South Florida Manufacturers.

March 26, 2005|By Ihosvani Rodriguez, South Florida Sun-Sentinel

MIAMI -- The cars that roll out of Juan Mundo's body shop in southwest Miami-Dade County occasionally have built-in canisters that spray Mace and have windshields that could block bullets from an AK-47 assault rifle.

Although Florida has had its share of highway combat, most of the cars are meant for security duty on more troubled roads of rage, in war-torn regions of the Middle East and Latin America, where kidnappings are becoming routine.

The world's violence means a boom for South Florida car manufacturers like Mundo who are cashing in with their brand of vehicle conversions.

The demand abroad is so great that Mundo, who co-owns CSI Armoring in Miami-Dade, is searching for a larger warehouse to fit the truckloads of sport utility vehicles that are brought in each week for bulletproofing.

The 20-year-old company traditionally has depended on private businessmen throughout South Florida as their client base. Now, Mundo and his father, Jorge, cater almost exclusively to private contractors who export the vehicles to Iraq and to customers in Latin America.

"You can't really put a price on safety," said Mundo, explaining why some are willing to pay up to $130,000 to convert their vehicles. "We're living in real troubled times."

At Mundo's plant, more than 50 workers rip through brand-new Chevy TrailBlazers and rebuild them with bulletproof glass and outside panels.

Most of the conversions include installing flat-proof tires and safes in the rear compartments.

Additional accessories supplied by Mundo and other local companies include a device that creates a smoke curtain, an armored grille to protect the radiator and electrified door handles.

Martin Cardenal, who co-owns Square One Armoring Service of Miami with his father, is among the few vendors in the United States with vehicle-armoring contracts with the U.S. government.

In 2003, the government awarded Cardenal's company a $2.2 million contract to equip vehicles shipped to the Middle East. So far, Cardenal says his company has rebuilt an average of 200 vehicles a year for various government agencies.

On a much larger scale, Labock Technologies in Weston garnered $60 million in orders last year, said company official Pablo Davidov. The company, with plants in Israel and Greece, specializes in products for the military in Iraq and corporate security in Latin America. It has supplied bullet-resistant glass for Pope John Paul II's "popemobile."

Davidov disagrees with the notion that company owners are only opportunists profiting from war and chaos, saying they provide a vital service that saves lives.

"We have pictures and proof that the grim situation out there could be worse without these services," Davidov said.